EXPLOIT Report Summary

The main objective of the research is to raise the awareness of potential customers to the benefits to be obtained from broadband communications. This is being approached through the provision of an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) test bed, which has a capability for interconnection with other broadband islands.

As a result of the research, the external interfaces for all the interconnection equipment in the project (2 Mbit/s and 140 Mbit/s mappers, narrowband (N-ISDN) and frame relay interworking units) are available. Collaborative agreements have been established for the demonstration of pilot broadband applications, terminal equipment, management systems and new interworking capabilities (eg H261, UMTS). Influential contributions have been made to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in the areas of frame relaying, broadband integrated services digital network (B-ISDN) interworking, the mapping of ATM cells into existing plesiochronous digital hierarchy (PDH) transmission systems, signalling, and the so-called 'VBS' interface. The first European demonstration of ATM over satellite was made within this project.